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The first years of a child's life are crucial for cognitive development. One psychologist claims that 50 percent of a child's adult intellectual capacity is formed by age four, and 80 percent by age eight. During the early years the child builds the basic mental structure (or mental order) that he/she will use for life, and the child develops a basic attitude toward learning and towards himself or herself. To quote Maria Montessori, "...the most important period of life is not the age of university studies but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six. For that is the time when Man's intelligence itself, his greatest implement, is being formed." The Toddler class serves as the foundation of the child's education. A toddler undergoes rapid development by means of a mind that is constantly absorbing impressions from the environment, at first rather like a camera and then more self-consciously. This child is continuing the process, begun at birth, of developing language, coordination of movement, and independence. All of this is facilitated by the child's active participation, interacting with his/her environment, which at CMS is the prepared environment of our Toddler community. This prepared environment is scaled to fit these children. One finds low shelving that holds enticing materials selected to aid each child's progress toward independence. The teacher and an assistant work each morning with a class of nine to twelve toddlers, usually working with each child individually. Movement and Knowledge: Many of the materials and activities in the Toddler community are in the category that Maria Montessori called practical life. Helping with food preparation, sponging up spills, scrubbing a table, dusting a shelf, carrying a tray, or polishing shoes: all aid the child's development of movement control, involving both large and small muscles. Practical life activities also aid the child's development of concentration and independence. Many of the activities foster eye-hand coordination: sewing, manipulating scissors, or gluing papers. Feeling objects in the Fishing bags develops the ability to identify objects by using only the sense of touch aided by visual memory. Toddlers explore with their senses; their exploration, which yields information about the world, is facilitated by their ability to concentrate and by their control of movement. Outdoor activities on the Toddler playground aid the development of equilibrium. Language: Toddlers are eager to learn the names of things, to know the words that are appropriate to a given situation. They work tirelessly at learning to communicate with those around them, while they increase their vocabularies and the length and complexity of their spoken phrases. Listening to stories or joyfully learning names for various plants and animals or for objects in their environment: these activities help children become more familiar with the richness of their language.
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30 Old Mill Bottom Road, North, Annapolis, Maryland 21409
Phone: (410) 757-4740 | Fax: (410) 757-8770 Email: cms@Chesapeake-montessori.com © 1999-2004 ~ The Chesapeake Montessori School Website design by The Abel Group |
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